daria's midnight runners
by iamoutraged
Summary: daria and trent shipper.
1. Chapter 1

(this is where the disclaimer goes, right? not my characters, but the mystik spiral "song" is my own awesome work.)

"we're not going to make it, jane." daria's tone was flat, but still convincing.

"i know, we're cutting it close, but we still have a chance."

"no, we don't. we're miles from the nearest town, some thief stole all our money. our only means of transportation is incapacitated, we lost all our spare clothes crossing the river and it's below freezing. our rations are almost completely gone and unreplenishable because trent wasted all our bullets on squirrels and rabbits, and everyone in our party has come down with either dysentery or typhoid. there's no way we're going to make it."

"daria, are you playing oregon trail instead of working on your term paper?"

"perhaps." she sighs. "my head feels like it's in a vice and my eyes are going to pop out of their sockets at any minute. i needed a break."

"you know, they should've called it 'organ trail' and instead of hunting animals for food, you hunted humans. that would've been much cooler." jane turned away from her own project, a sculpture of an oversized cat, with a mutant head that appears to have tried to split into two separate ones, but didn't quite finish, giving it two mouth/nose sections both making an anguished "meow" and both an equal distance from the shared third eye in the middle of the face. "something the matter? i mean, other than the procrastination of your term paper."

"no. yes. it wouldn't be so bad, if i were able to concentrate. i'm already starting to get burnt out on the whole college thing. i'm less than anxious to pick a major and there's only so many gen-ed classes i can take before i'm forced to make a decision. i like to write, but it's a waste of tuition to pick some variation of a literature major when i already have a distinctive, insightful writing style and i've read damn near every classic novel in the raft campus library. besides, there's no guarantee i can make money with that sort of degree after i graduate, leaving me neck deep in student loans with no means to pay them back. i can pick something with a greater chance of getting me paid straight out of school, but the options there are always less enjoyable, so then i risk the chance of losing interest halfway through and if i actually struggle through it and finish, instead of switching majors and counting the time spent on it before as a waste, then there's always the possibility that i hate it and i'm miserable for the rest of my life. oh, and i'm actually a little homesick."

"so you've decided to have your mid-life crisis now and get it out of the way."

"pretty much"

"which happens to be while you're working on a paper that's due tomorrow."

daria just looked at her, deadpan.

jane put down her art tools. "let's go out and get drunk."

"excuse me?"

"let's crash a frat party and get really wasted on liquor and heroin. we can have reckless, meaningless sex with some guys, or girls, we don't even know. then we can all get tattoos and piercings and vandalize the science wing. maybe even steal a car and leave a dead hooker in the trunk. whaddya say?"

"no."

"then finish your paper and we'll do something really crazy at the end of the semester."

"and that's suppose to make me feel better how?"

"you're just stressed because finals are coming up and you've done nothing but work since you got here. we haven't really met anyone new or gone to any parties or anything and you're disappointed that college is looking exactly like high school right now. your first semester is almost over, you're finally an adult, free of the tyranny of your parents but you're still just doing the exact same things you always did and now the future looks just as bleak and depressing as ever. it's like cold feet before a wedding. you think you're not ready for that kind of commitment, but all you need is a bachelorette party to get all the wild desires out of your system and then you'll be ready for your future together."

"my future together with who?"

"your major."

"yes, and we'll be in the honeymoon phase for a while before the monotony sets in and i'm ready to cheat on it. i'm too young to get married. that was a horrible analogy on your part."

"just trying to help."

"there's more to it than that. i'm not a partying kind of girl and you know this." daria closed her laptop and let herself fall backwards on jane's bed. "i dunno. maybe it is just this paper. there's nothing challenging about it, yet i still can't seem to motivate myself enough to work on it."

a look of empathy came over jane's face. "it'll be fine. seriously, finish the paper, it'll be the last of it's kind. just make it through finals, then you can take it easy back in lawndale for a while and have a fresh new outlook when you start next semester. visiting your parents and your sister should be enough to motivate you to work harder at college so you don't get kicked out and have to move back in with them." she stepped back from her work of art. "so what do you think?"

daria sat up. she looked deep into the cat's middle eye and said to it "i feel your pain." the cat looked back as if to say "i know"


	2. Chapter 2

jane was digging around the bags in the backseat of daria's pathfinder looking for her camera. "boy, you've brought a lot of luggage. didn't plan on coming back?"

"huh?"

"i'm kidding, daria." they both looked toward the side of the road as they passed the 'welcome to lawndale' sign. jane snapped a blurred shot as they drove by and let the camera fall to the end of it's strap around her neck. "you know, the last time i called trent, i don't think he was technically awake. i wonder if it even registered that we're on our way there."

"i hope the surprise doesn't send him into a shock induced coma."

"well, since i didn't enroll until halfway through the semester, maybe he didn't even realize i left the state."

"yeah, he could've thought everytime he was up and about that he just happened to miss you before you went out."

"it's possible. he didn't realize you were in boston until he asked me to invite you to the zen for his birthday party/show a month after you'd already left."

"i'm flattered he wanted to invite me, but the lack of acknowledgement of my prolonged absence kind of cancels that out."

"you can't really take it personally. you know how hard it is to grasp a concept of time when you only get out of bed to use the bathroom or play the occasional gig."

"i'm not offended. i'm surprised he thought of me at all."

"don't be so naive. you know my brother thinks the world of you. you should pop in and say hi to trent before you head home, that is, if he hasn't died of loneliness without you. it'll be a beautiful reunion, the both of you running into each other's arms and kissing passionately for the first time in ages..."

"if that did happen, it would be the first time ever. seriously, while we're in lawndale, is it going to be moment after awkward moment that you force on us like before? if so, i can just turn this car right around and drop you back off at the dorms..."

"no, not at all. i was just having a bout of nostalgia and i had to tease you once more, for old times sake. it's been a long time since i could, and the opportunities are only going to dwindle as time goes on." daria pulled into the lane driveway and parked. "here we are, home again. come in for a minute?"

"nah, i'll just be on my way..."

"janey!" trent emerged from the front door."

"trent, you're up! what an unexpected surprise!"

"i really missed you, sis." he gave her a brotherly hug.

"i missed you, too" jane's face was lit with a smile, as was trent's.

"hey, daria! long time no see." he gave her a hug as well. "i missed you, too." daria froze with shock, but then loosened up enough to hug back. "it hasn't been the same around here without you two."

she was still a little stiff. "yeah, same."

jane snapped a polaroid of the two. "trent, help me bring my bags in and we'll all catch up on the past few months."

"actually, i need to get going." daria pulled away from trent. "i'll catch up later."

trent got the hint and took a step back. "well, come back over once you've spent some time with your parents. we'll all go out. to a show or something."

"yeah," jane removed the last of her belongings and laid it on top of the rest in a pile by the driveway. "call me later, k?" she handed daria the polaroid of her and trent.

"ok. i promise. once' i've gotten settled."


	3. Chapter 3

daria's parents were also excited to see her. even quinn seemed to have missed her a little, but she would never admit it.

"ace all your exams, kiddo?" jake gave her the third or fourth hug since she got there. he seemed the most thrilled.

"probably."

"that's great, hon. have you made any new friends at raft?" that's helen, ever so out of touch.

"no."

"daria, college isn't just about passing classes, you have to do a little networking if you expect to get the most out of your education."

"you know, that's why there's so many malpractice suits, because doctors spend more energy networking than learning how to treat patients. but hey, it's not like anyone ever died from an incorrect diagnosis, have they?"

"daria..."

"still wearing those same boots, ick!" thank god quinn interrupted before things got ugly. "daria, i expected even you would've updated your wardrobe for college. i mean, come on!"

"nice to see you, too. you know, the trip here was pretty grueling. i need to rest before i can continue to socialize, lest i might harm someone. i'll be in my room for a while."

"wow, that didn't take long at all. college must be really hard. well, my date's here. gotta go."

jake and helen looked at each other in concern as quinn headed toward the door and daria slumped up the stairs.

she arrived at her old, familiar door and felt a calm sweep over her as she gently pushed it open. she just stood there for a moment, taking it all in before entering. she promptly closed the door behind her and dropped her things where she stood. the digital display on her old alarm clock said 7pm. she didn't care. she laid on her bed and made a cocoon of her covers before she was out hard.


	4. Chapter 4

daria awoke with a jolt. a sound outside her window was the cause, and it was enough to jar her into full alertness. she noticed the time - 4am. how long had she been sleeping? and how come her parents never came and woke her? then she heard the noise again. it was something hitting the window. what the hell? she was on the second floor... she worked up the nerve to go take a peek outside. then, the sound came once more, before she got to the window and she identified it as a pebble, obviously being thrown by someone. she opened the window and the frigid night air blew the drapes into an uproar and chilled daria right down to the bone. yet, somehow, it still felt exquisite. she leaned out and hissed down toward the figure, "quinn's room is that way," as she made a sharp gesture indicating a different window.

then the figure answered, barely audibly, "daria, it's trent. is there some way i can come up?"

"...how?"

"i dunno, is there a balcony or something?"

"how bout i just come down there?"

"you know, whatever."

"i'll be there in a minute" she took a quick glance in the mirror and smoothed the top of her hair. it was a crazy bed-head mess. she was still wearing her day clothes, so she just grabbed her winter coat and headed down the stairs hurriedly, but quietly, on the way wiping the slobber from the corners of her mouth and then flying out the back door, successfully not making a sound. she slowly scanned the terrain which was lit quite magnificently by the almost full moon and cloudless night sky, but she didn't see trent. then a whisper -

"daria, over here." he had found a folding lawn chair in the shrubbery.

she approached trent with anticipation. "um, it's 4am, trent. are you ok?"

"yeah, i'm fine. it's a long story. monique and i had a fight at the house. she's upset because i told her earlier today that i wanted to spend time with janey and she ignored me and came over anyway. so when she showed up uninvited, i asked her to leave and she got all pissy. she said she doesn't understand why she's not equally, if not more important than my family since we've been together for so long. then she started accusing me of not caring about her enough and having my priorities out of order. i told her there's nothing wrong with my priorities and if she's not satisfied with my sister and my band coming before her then she should probably find someone else to be with. she wants me to conform to her concepts of the perfect boyfriend and she will not cave on that shit, but at the same time, she won't let me break up with her because i told her last time we made up that if we broke up again, this time it would be permanent. she started crying and acting psycho and shit. i just don't have the energy for it anymore. so i let her think that i agree with her just to get her to shut up."

"how long has this been going on?"

"about 4 and a half hours."

"no, i meant her irrational expectations."

"years. she's never going to change, and i tried to explain to her that neither am i and we're not going to ever get anywhere with each other, but she won't accept it."

"i'm sorry..." she hesitated. "...but, why did you come to my house?"

"well, she's still at my house right now. i told her i had to go to the bathroom, but then i escaped through the window and went for a walk. lucky for me you were up."

daria grimaced. "yeah, lucky."

"hope you don't mind that i came by."

"no, it's ok."

"...umm, could we possibly go in for a bit? it's really cold out here."

daria wasn't too keen on the idea. "you know, trent. i haven't been back long and i don't think my parents would appreciate me having a guy in here this late at night." she noticed the look of sad confusion on trent's face, like that of chastised puppy. "besides, running from her like that is just going to make it worse for you later. and, isn't it a little unfair to leave jane to deal with her?

"yeah, i know, but i really just can't deal with it anymore, not right this second. but it's really over for good this time. i'll let her know tomorrow..."

"trent..."

trent sighed and looked down at the frost on his shoes. "it's ok, i understand. can i at least come in and use the bathroom first?"

"didn't you go to the bathroom before you crawled out the window to come here?" trent just shrugged. daria was exasperated. "ok, follow me, and be very, very quiet. i'm going to take you upstairs. the downstairs toilet is too close to mom and dad's room." they made their way inside and up to the second floor. it was pitch dark, but their eyes were already adjusted from following the dim shimmers of moonlight that laid in narrow streaks through the living room windows. she led him to the bathroom, right next to her bedroom door. "you going to be long?" she whispered.

"i dunno, maybe."

daria sighed. "i'll be in my room. please, be very quiet. if anyone sees you, i'll have a hard time convincing them you're just here to use the bathroom."

"no problem." he eased through the door without making a sound and daria went to her room. no sooner than she had closed the door behind her when quinn came sneaking up the stairs. she was all dressed up, with her hair tousled, holding her open-toed heels by the straps in one hand. she noticed the light pouring from underneath the bathroom door and made a tiny squeak of annoyance. she noiselessly entered her own bedroom and reappeared moments later in a nightgown and sheer robe. she stood impatiently outside the bathroom door with her arms folded.

"hurry up, daria," she huffed under her breath.

moments later, trent opened the door and looked right into the face of shock and amazement to say, "hey, daria's sister."

quinn gasped, "oh. my. god!" then she watched in disbelief as he let himself into daria's room.

daria had changed into a t-shirt and shorts and was sitting in bed reading when trent came in. "you all set?" she inquired.

"uh...yeah." he hesitated to tell her that he ran into quinn in the hallway, and then decided that he couldn't handle anymore angry women that night, since he had to go back home to monique.

"well, i'm going to walk you out. i've pushed my luck enough for one evening."

they felt their way through the dark house one last time to the front door. "the handle's kind of tricky, better let me get it." daria held the door for him.

"thanks again, daria. i owe you one." trent kissed her on the forehead and then disappeared into the night. daria, thankful that she was in the clear and still glowing from the affectionate gesture, retired to her bed once more.


	5. Chapter 5

daria was dreaming of staring up peacefully at fluffy clouds and blue sky as she floated aimlessly in the middle of a crystal clear ocean beside trent. she could faintly hear quinn's voice in the far off distance and seagulls started pecking at her shoulder. she opened her eyes. once she was able to focus her sight, she realized that her sister was standing over her, poking her with the antennae end of the cordless phone.

"daria, it's tom." quinn shoved the phone in her face. then she leaned in closer with her hand covering the receiver, "when you get off the phone, we need to talk!"

daria took the phone, and quinn left. still not completely functional and wiping crusties out of her eyes she answered it. "hello?"

"hey, daria! i see you're in town for winter break, too."

"uh, yeah. how are you?"

"i'm good. you?"

"same."

"so, you ready to wax intellectual on the comparative differences between two schools with equally exceptional educational resources and faculty, but differing outlooks on elitism and nepotism? or is it too early for that, this morning?"

"that last thing you said. i just woke up." she put on her glasses.

"sorry. so you here for the whole break?"

"yeah."

"i'll be here until christmas, but then my family's making a trip to the cove for new year's. wanna get together later for pizza or something? i'd really like to see you while we're both in town and catch up. i've got a lot of interesting stories on the snooty alumni versus the well-adjusted, average students mingling at parties. and i've got to tell you about my lit professor."

"yeah, that'd be good. later, though. i had a rough night and my sister wants to talk to me about something. can i call you this afternoon?"

"sure. i should be here."

"yeah. i'll call you, alright?"

"ok, then. bye, daria..."

"bye, tom." daria clicked the phone off and took a couple minutes to gather herself. she got dressed and walked out of her room to look out front through the hall window. she didn't see any cars outside, so her parents must be at work. good. time for breakfast.

once she was downstairs, she went to the kitchen to make herself some toaster treats. quinn was already at the table, waiting for her.

"sleep well, my dear sister?"

"you sound a little sassy this morning, quinn. something on your mind?"

"oh, nothing. i thought that maybe your slumber last night was, perhaps, enhanced by some outside variable. perhaps you've changed your sleeping habits while away in your dorm. perhaps you felt the need to replicate them to sleep restfully here. in your childhood home."

"i didn't pick up any drug habits, if that's what you mean."

"i don't care if youare legally an adult making your own way in the world, mom and dad are still going to freak if they find out you had that guy you know over last night."

"what?"

"come on, daria, you don't have to hide it from me. i'm your sister. besides, i saw him this morning when he was leaving the bathroom, there's no sense lying about it now."

"there wasn't anything going on, if that's what you think. he came in to use the bathroom. that's all."

"that makes so much sense. thanks for clearing that up. don't worry, your secret's safe with me. but i may need you to do some favor for me..."

"forget it, quinn."

"no, it's not blackmail. i simply want you to remember this if i ever call on you in a time of distress."

"fine, whatever."

quinn took a sip of her orange juice. "so, how long has this been going on?"

"nothing's going on! he just showed up last night. something about a fight with his girlfriend. she was waiting for him at his house and he was trying to avoid her. it's complicated."

quinn swirled the juice around in her glass. "so, a cool, older guy, he's in a band right? came to you in the middle of the night for consolation from his heartbreak and you didn't jump his bones. boy, you really blew it."

"quinn!"

"i'm kidding. i wouldn't have either. and not just because i'm not that kind of girl. i'm not into the artsy type, either. but, i figured you were. and he had to have ulterior motives for coming here. let's face it, there had to have been a dozen other people he could've gone to, but he picked you."

"he picked my house because it was in walking distance and he couldn't start his car. she would've heard it."

"and what's she going to do? chase him down the street? he probably walked so his car wouldn't wake up mom or dad. of course, if he drove a nicer car like the people i date, it wouldn't make any noise when it idled...

"no, he probably didn't want to alert her to his escape so he could get a head start before she started looking for him."

"oh, daria, quite trying to over-rationalize and explain away his advances. if a guy wants to be with you, it's nothing to be humble about. you should take advantage of the situation. opportunity knocks, but it never begs. unless you're me." she squeaked her little popular titter.

"he doesn't want to 'be with me' as you put it. we're just really good friends."

"daria, guys and girls can barely be friends, much less 'really good friends.' that reference is an allusion to the potential to be more."

daria gave everything quinn said some thought before she spoke again "why are you being so nice to me?"

"what do you mean?"

"you haven't threatened to tell on me or tried to squeeze a bribe out of me, then you sit here and give me relationship advice."

"well, you know, you've been gone a while and soon i'll be going to college too and we'll hardly see each other anymore and well...you're my sister, the only one i've got. and i don't want a big ol' rift coming between us like mom and aunt rita."

"thanks, quinn. you're really becoming quite mature."

"not too quick, i hope. i like having the vibrant skin and bouncy hair of a teenager. and i already have a fake id, so i don't really need a real one."


	6. Chapter 6

jane was beginning to stir from an unrestful night's sleep on the living room couch when trent came through the front door. "where the hell have you been, young man?" she grumbled, still half asleep.

"avoiding monique. she's gone, right?"

"yeah, but it hasn't been long. she waited here most of the night for you to get back. she kept harassing me, too, making unfounded conspiratorial accusations at me. i haven't seen my own bed yet, either."

"yeah, sorry about that."

"i forgive you. just don't let it happen again. but you seriously need to do something about her. i don't want her coming back around while i'm here if she's going to be all 'girl interrupted'. why are you still wasting your time with her?"

"we've been together off and on for years and i just didn't want to have to start over from scratch on a new relationship. you know how it is, trying to memorize exactly what someone orders at all the different food chains so you don't have to call and ask them what they want everytime you grab a something on your way home."

"i hardly think that knowing what someone gets on their big mac is grounds for a relationship."

"don't worry about it. i'm done with her. being alone is better than putting up with her shit. even with you being away at school and all, i'd rather be the only living soul in this house than have to worry about her killing me in my sleep."

"well put. i just hope you really mean it this time. you've got to stick to your guns on the issue. when you break the news to her and she starts with the weeping, just remember, those aren't real tears. they're the fabricated rouse of a soulless succubus that wants to drain the life out of you when you buckle and take her back."

"there's more to her than that. don't you think i saw something in her when we first got together?"

"yeah, but that was before you got to know the real monique. just cut her loose. how much longer are you going to let this go on? til she traps you with a pregnancy? are you going to marry her? give up your band and live in misery til you die?"

"she'd never do that."

"maybe not on purpose. maybe not yet. think about it. you do what you think is best, but figure it out quick, because she'll be back. she made that abundantly clear. i'm going to catch a nap in my bed before she gets here and starts with the rampaging bitch routine"

jane had her head wrapped in a pillow, trying to drown out the agonizing crying and arguing of monique and trent when the phone rang. she almost didn't hear it at all. she grabbed the receiver and retreated back to the pillow sound barrier to answer it. "hello?"

"hey. wanna get out for a while?"

"this is daria, right? i can barely hear you."

"what the hell's going on over there?"

"trent breaking up with monique. i would love to go somewhere else. anywhere else. what did you have in mind?"

"don't care. i'll meet you halfway and we'll figure it out from there."

"sounds like a plan. i'll see you in a few."

"k, see ya."

jane tried to sneak by the conflicting couple unnoticed, but monique was at her sharpest at that moment.

"jane! what did trent say to you about me this morning?!"

"janey, you don't have to answer that."

"yes, she does! this is between me and her!"

"no, it isn't!" jane replied without diverting from her path to the door. "this is between you and trent. leave me out of it!" she slammed the door behind her. she could hear monique yelling some obscenity at her from the other side of the door and trent yelling back at her.

"you don't talk to my sister like that!"

"you tell her, trent." jane smiled to herself as she kept walking. it wasn't long before she saw daria approaching. "boy, am i glad to see you. things with those two have risen to a ludicrous level of violent, combative banter since i last lived here."

"so he's really breaking up with her?"

"why, looking for a holiday hook-up?"

"no, i just didn't think he had the initiative to go through with it."

"what he's lacking is the will power to stick with it. they break up all the time and everytime is the 'last time'...hey, wait. when did you talk to trent about monique?"

"about 4am last night. he showed up at my house in the middle of the night to talk."

"so that's where he went! did he make a woman out of you, daria?"

"no, we just talked and then he came in to use the bathroom. quinn saw him leaving and felt the need to tell me this morning her theories on his ulterior motives for coming to my house."

"so you admit that he wants to be more than friends?"

"i doubt he feels anything towards me other than friendship. you'd have to talk to him about that."

"then are you admitting that you have feelings for him?"

"i admit nothing. this conversation is taking an ugly turn towards borderline gossip, and i'm a little sickened by that. let's talk about something else. where are we going?"

"i dunno. pizza?"

"pizza? damn! i forgot i told tom i'd call him back."

"tom called you, too? when did you become such a floozy?"

"it just sorta happened after i got the boob job."

"what did tom want?"

"he's in town for christmas and wanted to hang out while i was here, too. i don't really know if i want to though."

"you should just start an escort service so you can pawn some of these guys off on the other girls when you get too busy."

"good idea. wanna make a couple bucks?"

"nah. trent's my brother, that'd be too backwoods and tom? i've had him as client before. he doesn't tip enough for someone of his financial status."


	7. Chapter 7

christmas morning, daria was up before everyone else. she wasn't up with anticipation, like when she was kid and she would lay awake waiting for quinn to get up and wake her parents. quinn always did that back then and daria liked it better that way, because then no one had to know that she was excited, too. no, she was just laying in bed thinking. she thought about tom and the lunch they had the other day, while they shared college experiences. their outing together had felt like a chore. they had grown even more apart since they'd graduated, just as she expected, and he had been reduced to more of an acquaintance. she started reminiscing about some of the better times they had spent together when they were still dating. it was pleasant, but she just didn't get that lovey dovey feeling like she used to and now he just seemed kind of boring. she started comparing their relationship to his with jane, and for a moment, she didn't really see a difference.so what makes a relationship meaningful? she wondered. she tried to imagine what trent's relationship with monique was like before they broke up. then she thought about the night he showed up at her house, and got all giddy like a pathetic little school girl. it turned her stomach, because she didn't like to think of herself all vulnerable like that. the two of us will never happen, she told herself. it wouldn't work out anyway...but fantasizing about it gave her that hopeful feeling of something to look forward to. so, she decided, it wasn't trent that she wanted, just that feeling. and that's much more acceptable. then why is her stomach still uneasy? couldn't be butterflies.

she noticed it was about 7:30am when she heard that same pebble sound at her window. it was probably just an audio hallucination. but just to be sure, she got up and checked. and there was trent, standing in the yard like before, only this time it was just after sunrise and there were flakes falling all around and a glimmer of morning light glinting off a thin sheet of snow illuminating the ground under him. daria went downstairs without getting dressed. she came out the backdoor in her pajamas, house robe, and slippers, but was completely uneffected by the chilly december weather. trent was on the porch, holding a wrapped present.

"hey, daria."

"what are you doing up so early, trent?" she was trying to hide her enthusiasm to see him.

"actually, i haven't been to bed yet, is all." he nervously fiddled with the box in his hands. "i don't really care for christmas, because it's so commercial. i feel that you should give a present to someone you care about because you want to, not because you feel obligated. it just so happens that the moment i wanted to give you a gift fell on christmas."

"you shouldn't have. i didn't get you anything"

"see what i mean? i don't want you to feel like you have to get me anything. consider it a token of gratitude for risking your neck to comfort me other night. it's nothing spectacular anyway. i'm always broke." he held the package out towards her. "you can open it whenever."

it was a small box, but it was still pretty heavy for it's size. "you want me to open it right now?."

"sure."

she smiled at him before carefully tearing the paper off it. it was a figurine of a woman wearing greek robes and a wreath and she was holding a lyre. "is this...a greek goddess?"

trent offered an explanation. "i told you it was nothing extravagant. it's erato, the muse of lyric and poetry. see, this was mine. i kept it in case i got writer's block. and thought it might be of some use to you in college. i figured, with all the essays and stuff they always assign you, that you might get burnt out. this will help you stay inspired, so you don't neglect your own writing. at least, i think it also works for story writers."

daria was touched. "trent, this is an awesome gesture, but i can't take this if you need it."

"nah, i want you to have it. that way, you'll also have a reminder of me when you're away."

"thank you, trent."

trent looked down at her. "you're welcome." he extended his arms to give her a hug. daria hesitantly hugged back.

they were still locked in that position when helen came out the back door. "daria!"

daria broke away immediately. "mom!"

"good morning, mrs. morgendorffer. i was just bringing daria a present. i'll be on my way now."

jake wandered out back with coffee in hand. "morning, trent. wanna stay for breakfast? i was going to make cheese omelets, or as the french say, omelet du fromage!"

helen was still peeved at finding her daughter in what she felt was a compromising position. "actually, trent was just leaving."

"sorry if i disturbed you both. i'll see you later, daria."

"yeah. later."

helen kept her eyes on trent as he made his way out the back gate. "bringing you a present. in the backyard. and why didn't he use the front door like a civilized person?"

"because he didn't want to wake you."

"come on, helen. daria's an adult now."

"that's what i'm afraid of..." helen turned around to go inside.

"daria's smart, she wouldn't do anything reckless."

"right, that's why she's standing in a half foot of snow in her house shoes. get in here before you get sick."

"but, helen, you were just outside in your pajamas."

"jake..."

quinn was just joining the rest of them in the kitchen. "are we going to open presents, now?"

daria looked back at the gate and then at the miniature goddess in her hands before going inside. doesn't matter what else she got, or whatever happened during the remainder of the day. she was more than pleased with the holiday already.


	8. Chapter 8

"does bigfoot have a fetish for ethnic ladies? sasquatches with jungle fever! tonight, on sick, sad world!" the phone rang and daria muted the tv to answer it. "hello?"

"so, what are we going to do, tonight?" jane was painting while talking on the phone.

"you wouldn't ask like that if you didn't already have something picked out. what's up?"

"mystik spiral is headlining the new year's extravaganza at mcgrundy's tonight. i don't think your parents would really expect a young social butterfly like yourself to ring in the new year at home. so you have to go."

"i'll think about it."

"great! i'll tell trent you're going."

"i said, i'll think about it."

"yeah, same thing. what do you have better to do?"

"well, do you really want to mingle with a bunch of bar drunks celebrating a major drinking holiday?

"yes! it'll make it easier to have a few ourselves. we'll blend better."

"even if i do decide to go, i'm not going to drink."

"i understand. i know how unmanageable you are when you get trashed."

"how would you know that? i've never been trashed."

"well, i don't actually know, but i like to imagine you as the get-tore-up-and-kick-some-ass type of drunk. are you really going to make me wait until you're 21 to find out if i'm right?"

"haven't decided yet. we still have a few years to go. i might change my mind before then, but don't hold your breath."

"you're still going to go tonight, though, right?"

"yeah, i'll go."

"cool. we'll be by around 6:30 to pick you up. the band has to get there early to set up their equipment."

"see ya then."


	9. Chapter 9

jane, daria, and the mystic spiral ensemble arrived at the empty pub with equipment in hand. the jukebox was on random playing some soft alternative rock and the only other person there was rod, the owner/one of the bartenders. the girls took a seat at the bar. "hey guys! you ready to play for the biggest crowd you've ever had? new year's is the second busiest night we ever have here."

"what's the first?" daria asked without thinking about it.

"st. patrick's day."

"of course."

"yeah, if mystik spiral goes over well, tonight, i'll let them play st. patty's day."

"so this is a pretty important gig for us," trent interjected as he set down his guitar. "see, the spiral has their own following, but there are still a lot of regulars that come here on nights we don't perform and haven't heard us yet. we're hoping to convert a few fans tonight."

rod was stocking a a cooler behind the bar with cans of steel reserve and pbr. "yeah, but even if you don't, they still have to pay the cover to get in like everyone else, so it should be a pretty high revenue night for the both of us. band drinks are on the house, tonight."

"yes!" max was rolling in a halfstack with jesse when he heard what rod said. his exclamation of happiness was accompanied by an equally happy gesture, causing him to let go of the amp and it rolled over jesse's toe.

"hey, watch it!"

"sorry."

"that's cool rod." trent came to stand at the bar with the girls and the bartender. "hey, did i ever introduce you to my sister, jane, and our friend, daria?"

"you haven't, but i'm certain i've seen them in here before. a while back, i believe."

"yeah, we haven't been around lately," jane extended her hand to rod to shake his. "daria and i go to bfac and raft in boston."

"you must go to bfac," he said to jane

"why do you say that?"

"well, your brother's a musician and i've met your sister, penny, and i know she's into crafts. i assume artistic talent must run in the family."

"you'd be correct."

"so you go to raft then, daria?"

"yep."

"what are you studying?"

"general education."

"they have a degree for that?"

"daria's undecided right now," jane tried to help. "but she's a writer so she'll probably pick some kind of lit as her major."

"either that or pole-dancing." daria added

rod had a good sense of humor. "well, if you go the latter route, let me know and i'll have one installed so you can work here with trent."

"work? is that what he calls it?" jane thought his choice of words was amusing. "it's kind of funny to think of trent as a working man."

trent got defensive at this "hey, a music career isn't all fun and games. you have to really put yourself into it." he turned to rod. "can i get a guinness?"

"sure thing." he poured a draft pint and handed it to trent. "and what can i get for the ladies?"

daria wondered if he thought that because they were in college that they were of age, or if he just didn't care. "actually, i don't know if i'm going to drink, tonight."

"oh, i get it, college students and starving artists to boot can't afford drinks. you gals are alright, so tell you what. you're with the band, your drinks are free tonight, too."

"you're a generous man, rod." jane flashed him a grin. "i'll have a bloody mary"

"coming right up. and you?" he asked daria.

"umm, you got tea?"

"long island?"

"no, like lipton or tetley."

rod raised an eyebrow at her. "it's new year's eve and you're in a bar, you can't not drink."

"daria's the get-tore-up-and-kick-some-ass kind of drunk." jane must really love to say that.

rod looked at daria with a nod of approval. "i can tell."

"she'll have a guinness, too," trent said as he set his empty glass on the bar. "and i'll take another pint when i get back. i need to help the band some first."

rod set down a fresh glass for trent and handed daria her first ever pint. she looked at it long and hard before taking a deep breath and then tasting it.

"how is it?" jane asked.

"thick and bitter, but not bad."

"much like you, huh?"

daria and jane were on their second round when the other bands arrived and the customers started to pile in. by 8, the place was packed and mystic spiral was getting ready to take the stage. people gathered around the bar, trying to order drinks, and the girls were getting arms and elbows shoved in their faces. jane ordered another round and motioned for daria to follow her closer to the stage. they managed to finagle their way to the front just as trent began to speak into the mic.

"hey, we're mystik spiral. is everyone having a good time?" half the people shouted indecipherable responses. the other half just cheered or said nothing because they were busy trying to get another beer. the band went straight into their first song. trent could've been singing or farting into the mic and it wouldn't matter. everyone was already lit and just damn glad to be there. this was definitely the best turn out daria or jane had ever seen at one of the band's shows.

they played a few of their usual setlist, heavy, distorted guitar riffs accompanied by a moderately paced beat, and everyone was eating it up. then trent announced the unveiling of some new songs right before playing the first of them. then a few more of the old standbys, and trent informed the crowd that the spiral was going to take a little break so another band could have a turn, but that they'd be returning for a second set. the cheers continued all the way till the musicians left the stage, on into the entrance of the next band, a whiny group of emos with flippy-do haircuts, white leather belts, and pseudo-punk wannabe songs about how painful love is. the spectators ate that up, too. the girls were already waiting for trent on the side with a few unopened cans of pbr ready for the band. he motioned for them to go out the backdoor with him and jesse.

"how awesome was that?" trent knocked back the beer in one swift motion. "this is the best show ever! makes you damn proud to be a musican, right jess?"

"yeah."

jane handed trent another can. she was already a little tipsy. "you guys killed out there."

max stuck his head out the backdoor. "there you are. trent, jesse, rod wants us to meet him in the kitchen for something. he also said to 'bring the girls'. what girls?"

"he means jane and daria." trent tossed the second empty can into the alley.

"oh, those girls. i thought we had groupies or something."

they made their way through the rowdy pub patrons, behind the bar, and into the cookless pub kitchen. it was stuffy and the smoke back there was thicker than out in the rest of the bar. there was a dining table and a couple tore up old couches that were already in use by the third band on the bill, a dreadlocked group of jamaicans that played reggae. they were all just sitting around, cheifing with several spliffs in rotation at once, and daria couldn't help but think, how cliche. nicholas was at the table where several shot glasses were set up and rod was pulling a large bottle of jagermeister out of the freezer just as they arrived. "have a seat guys." once everyone was at the table, he started divvying the liquor into the shotglasses. "i know it's still early, but i wanted to do a few shots with all of you before midnight and you get too wasted to remember." the guys and jane all lifted their shotglasses. daria gave jane a look of desperation that went unnoticed, so she simply took hold of the glass in front of her like everyone else. "long live the fuckin spiral!" rod toasted. "you guys are the hardest motherfuckers who simply don't give a fuck!" everyone took their shots at that moment and thumped the glasses down on the table in a loud simultaneous thud. daria tried not to gag at the cough syrup taste and loogie-like consistency of the jager and had to quickly chase it with a guzzle of guinness. rod started pouring everyone more and daria felt her lunch try to jump up her throat.

"i think i'll sit the next one out," she said as she slid her shot toward the middle of the table.

"don't be ridiculous." gee, who would have thought the bartender/owner of a bar would have a drinking problem? "happy new year, everyone." jane and all the guys threw the next round back, the thud of the glasses hitting the table was a little more staggered this time.

sheep, daria chastised herself as she took her next shot. she thought the same thing before every following shot until the bottle was empty and she couldn't remember how many sheep she had counted. she took a step back and almost tripped. the room wouldn't stay still. she turned to jane, who was rocking a permanent smile on her warm, rosy face. "i think i need to pee." daria teetered a little as she spoke. "i'll be back."

"take your time, " her friend told her.

daria went through the unmarked door that she could only assume was the ladies' room, because it didn't have any urinals in it. some chick was in the first stall puking and two others were sitting on the sink passing a powdered mirror and straw back and forth. daria started to feel really sick and angry at herself for allowing her night to get like this. she entered the empty stall and almost slipped in the nondescript puddle at her feet. she hovered over the toilet haphazardly and peed for what seemed like days. once she stood back up, the feeling of nausea hit her hard. before she knew it, she was ralphing into the already stained crapper. the sounds of her puking were drowned out by the chick in the stall next to her. immediately afterwards, she felt better and was actually in the mood to drink some more. what was she so mad about, again? she couldn't remember. did it have something to do with the sink? she exited the stall and walked over to the faucet to wash her hands and face, all the while examining the sink around her. other than being a little wet and soapy, it seemed fine. must've been nothing. she looked at herself in the mirror. "actually, i think i might be having a good time after all. the jury's still out though..."

the puking chick emerged from her stall, wiping her arm across her face. she had boyish, purple hair and wore a bomber jacket over a black wife-beater and baggy olive-colored cargo pants. "still out on what?"

"uh...if i'm having fun."

"have you puked?"

"...yes."

"then you're having fun...or was it the other way around?" she started fumbling around her purse and pulled out a travel bottle of scope. she got a mouthful and started gargling. then she handed it to daria. "here, this'll help."

"thanks." daria did the same.

the chick reached her hand inside the towel dispenser and pulled out nothing. "you don't have a wet nap, do you?"

"no, sorry."

"bummer."

daria returned to the kitchen, but the only ones there were the reggae band. "wanna hit this?" dreadlock bob offered her a lit fatty.

"no, i'm good. thanks anyway. where did the others go?"

the rastafarian took a long drag, and the joint burned all the way up to his finger tips. he carefully put the roach out in an ashtray and spoke laboriously to keep from letting out any air. "dunno, man. they were here and now they're not." then he exhaled long with hardly any smoke in his breath. "you'll come across them when you're meant to, but why not find your own way right now? there's no reason to follow anyone. you're a strong, independent woman, i can tell. just be, man. just be."

"uh, thanks. that's very copacetic and...sound advice."

"that's the only way to be, sista."

she picked up a bottle of whiskey sitting on the coffee table next to the ashtray and took a swig of it without giving it any thought. "see ya, guys."

daria decided to get herself another drink. with beer in hand, she just wandered aimlessly around the bar for a while. she felt like a little kid at a carnival surrounded by creepy clowns and hyperactive children. she closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply. when she reopened her eyes, all the horrific distortion was gone and it was just a bar full of drunks and cigarette smoke again. that's better. daria knocked back the rest of her brew and was putting the empty can in the trash when she felt a sharp poke in her back from a pool cue.

"oh, sorry. hey, you're the broad from the bathroom," it was the puking girl. she passed the cue to the dude beside her. she fiddled around in her pockets until she found a zippo and then lit a square she'd been holding in her mouth. "you having fun, yet?"

"not so much. i can't find the people i came here with. i never would've thought someone could be so lonely in crowded room."

"the same way you can die of dehydration on a lifeboat in the middle of an ocean."

daria frowned. "suddenly, i'm not feeling so well, again."

"relax. i was just making a comparison. you wouldn't die of dehydration, you're surrounded by water, get it?"

"you can't drink ocean water. it's full of salt."

"i didn't mean it literally. the people you came with be damned! get to know some of the other people here. they're not so bad."

"i'm not much of a socialite, and i've never been drunk before. it's just a little unnerving."

"you gotta mellow out, chica." the girl held out her pack of menthols to daria, but she declined.

"i don't smoke."

the girl was looking around blankly. "well, could you hold these for me anyway?" she stuffed them in daria's jacket pocket. "i can't seem to find my purse and i'll just lose them while i'm looking for it."

"i guess."

"my name's tori, by the way."

"daria. nice to meet you. did you check the bathroom?"

"no, but i probably should, huh?" she passed her beer to daria. "i'll catch up with you in a little bit. if you see a green messenger bag with a bunch of pins on it, hold on to it, will ya? it's probably mine."

"sure thing." once tori had walked off and daria was on her own again, the music started to register in her ears. it was mystik spiral. she shoved her way up to the stage so she wouldn't lose sight of them again.

the song ended and trent addressed the crowd. "the spiral is usually pretty hard, but we have a sensitive side, too." he set his electric guitar down and picked up an acoustic one from a stand beside him. it was also electric, but he changed a setting on the effects peddle in front of him before he begin to strum the soft, dissonant melody with a clean, distortion-free sound.

"when i first met you, you hijacked my brain

if i can't have you, i'll probably go insane

but how can i tell if you feel the same?

how do i tell you, the wind whispers your name?

last guy would've been tough to top

with his bank account, wits, and intellectual talk

you can do so much better than me

a hopeless romantic with no money

well, it's been months now, and i haven't seen your face

my own home is such a lonely place

what made me think to hesitate

to express my affection, but now it's too late

rejection hurts, so i didn't risk it

if there was a window, i must have missed it

so now i just walk all alone in the rain

until one day you return again"

the last heartwrenching chord rang clear throughout the building and dissipated into the farthest, darkest corners like a single teardrop in a pond. that description, more vivid and dramatic than the song itself, does more justice for trent's musical vision than the actual song. obviously to daria, trent was bearing his soul with this piece, but that point would've been lost on anyone who didn't understand him and his clumsy lyrics.

the band started one of their signature more metal numbers and trent switched back guitars, hit the peddle once more, and joined them a few measures in. the finish of that song marked the end of their set and the spiral made way for the baked jamaican band. all the members of the spiral mingled into the crowd to collect their praise from their adoring fans, except for trent who disappeared out the backdoor once more. daria, in her effort to not get abandoned again, slipped out back as well.

in the dimly lit alley, the music from inside was muffled, but you could still tell it was a reggae cover of the violent femmes' "good feeling."

"good feeling, won't you stay with me, just a little longer?

it always seems that you're leaving. won't you stay with me just a little longer?"

daria immediately caught sight of trent. she leaned against the wall right outside the door to keep from losing her balance. "that set was even better than the last," she said to him.

"you think so?" trent had already resumed his drinking. he slammed the beer and cast the can aside.

daria unconsciously started drinking tori's beer that she was still holding. "yeah, and the acoustic jam was really touching."

"thanks, daria. i wrote that one entirely on my own. it took a lot of convincing to get the band to let me play it. i think it could use a little work though. you doing alright so far? you haven't drank too much, have you?"

"well, i'm sure i have, but it's too late to undo it, so i may as well sit back and enjoy the ride, right?" the bottle in her hand was empty, so she let it slide out of her fingers onto the concrete, where it didn't break, but it still made a loud clinking sound that echoed all the way down the alley.

"that's a really good point. you know, i don't usually drink this much. i guess the stress has really been getting to me lately." trent moved closer to where daria had made her spot on the brick wall and leaned back against it beside her. he looked down at her and noticed the cigarettes in her pocket. "i didn't know you smoked."

"oh, these? i don't. this girl i met in the bathroom asked me to hold them for her while she looked for her purse."

"hmmm, " trent shook his head. "i don't smoke either. that shit's bad for you, especially if you're a vocalist." he looked farther down the alley and then back at daria. "that's what i tell myself anyway. actually i used to smoke, but it's a helluva addictive habit. expensive, too. that's why i had to quit. but, it's hard to resist when i've been drinking... can i have one of those?"

"why not? she probably already forgot she left them with me." she handed him the pack

he took one and lit it with a very natural looking motion. "so janey tells me you haven't picked a major yet." the cigarette was just barely holding onto his lips as he spoke.

"no. actually, i'm starting to get soured on the college thing. everything just seems so pointless. i already feel like taking a break and i haven't even been there a whole year."

trent pulled the cigarette from his mouth and ashed. smoke poured from his mouth between words as he spoke. "well, why don't you then? you gotta do what's best for you. you can't really reap the full potential if your head's not in it. i mean, high school's one thing. it's required and it's free, so who cares if you slack off a bit while you're there, but college?" he returned the menthol to his mouth. "you don't just chose to go there, you also have to pay an arm and a leg. so what's the point if you're not committed to it? you're a smart kid, but you probably still had to put forth quite a bit of effort to get that academic award i saw you get at graduation and if you want a break, i think you deserve it."

"thanks, trent," the last couple of drinks had caught up with her, and she couldn't help but notice how handsome trent's profile was with the cigarette precariously perched on his lips. "i'm not a kid you know."

"what?"

"you called me a 'smart kid', but i'm not a kid. i'm a woman."

"i know that, daria. i didn't mean anything by it. sorry if i offended you."

"you didn't. i get you, you don't ever have to explain yourself to me." she was swaying a little with the music, but it wasn't intentional. her world was spinning. "it's too bad our lives are so different that we don't get to see each other so much anymore. i mean, now that i'm a college woman, you can probably appreciate me better."

"i always appreciated you, daria. you're smart and funny and honest. i'm the underachiever here. i'll admit i'm on the lazy side, but i really do take my music seriously. which is why i'll always be broke cause i would never compromise my vision to sell out. you're the one going places and leaving me behind."

"i'm here aren't i?"

"yeah, but it's only temporary. you'll be going back to boston in a couple weeks." he thumped the used up tobacco butt aside.

"maybe not. maybe i'd stay if i had a good reason."

"um, daria?" trent had been drinking, too, but his tolerance was obviously much higher, and he could tell that this could get pretty embarrassing for daria, if she even remembered it the next day. It's not like he's wasn't aware of the crush she had on him in high school, but he figured it had been long gone since tom came along. "that thing about you taking a break from college, i only meant if you needed a break. i wouldn't want you to give up the chance for a degree over something stupid."

"stupid? it'll always be there. raft isn't going anywhere."

"of course it isn't. all i'm saying is... i'm just looking out for you and your well being"

"well, don't"

"you don't want me to look out for you?"

"not if it means dictating what's right for me without considering what it is i want."

"you don't know what you really want right now because you're drunk."

"i want the same things when i'm sober..." then daria realized what she was saying and become uncomfortable by how it sounded "...i just don't know when to shut up cause i'm drunk."

trent laughed, followed by a slight cough. "you're also very cute when you're drunk." he was smiling. "so what is it you want then?"

"i dunno," daria shifted her weight between her feet, nervously. "so is this always what it's like when you drink? you talk about your feelings and your future and stuff?"

"yeah, and sometimes there's heated debates about religion and politics, and you have a much stronger opinion about the unimportant shit that otherwise wouldn't really matter to you."

"but sometimes a point that does mean something gets expressed, right? or do you always just dismiss everything someone said when they're...under the influence?"

"hmm," trent's eyes slipped upward in thought. "i usually do, but not always, or else a nugget of enlightenment might slip under the radar that i wouldn't want to miss out on."

"like what?"

"well...are you superstitious?"

"why would that matter?"

"a superstitious person wouldn't take it lightly who they spent new year's eve with. it's been said that you should kiss someone at the stroke of midnight for good luck."

"yeah, i don't really buy into that sort of thing."

"i didn't think you would."

"all that stuff is based on the power of suggestion. if a person believes they're going to have good luck, they're more likely to trivialize their bad luck as though it never happened and attribute their good luck to the unfounded rituals they participated in, like throwing salt over your shoulder when you knock over the shaker. on a cosmic scale, people are nothing and their lives are insignificant and it's just a means to find, uh, meaning in an otherwise...what's the word? damn! i've never had such difficulty articulating...and now we arehaving a religious debate...what was i saying?"

trent chuckled with his fist over his mouth to block another cough. "you were telling me your theories on how superstitious activities don't actually change anyone's luck, but instead just make someone feel better about the luck they have."

"is that what i was saying?"

"in so many words. i caught your drift."

"well, when you put it that way, it doesn't really sound so bad. although, since i can see through the illusion, i still don't see superstitious actions as being effective on me."

"so then it's a harmless practice. if it can't help anything, it certainly can't hurt. like me, i don't live and die by the principles, but i still kinda dig them. as a musician and lyricist, i see myself as a bit of a romantic. take the new year's belief. people attach extra meaning on beginnings and ends because they symbolize so much and you get a fresh start once midnight rolls by, so who can blame someone for wanting to share a moment like that with a loved one? i feel that the electricity between two people really can be powerful enough to effect the energy around them. and a kiss can change your whole world if it's from the right person." the people inside could be heard on the other side of the brick wall counting down to midnight. daria and trent turned their attention to the door, just for a brief moment.

daria turned back to trent. "if you believe in all that, then aren't you worried that you didn't find someone worthy of sharing your moment with in time?"

"no."

daria felt her heart trying to beat it's way out of her chest. "why not?"

"because i already did."

the countdown was coming to an end, "...3...2...1..."

trent didn't waste a moment, he pulled daria close to him and kissed her tenderly on her lips. she kissed back, causing him to become a little more forceful. she couldn't believe this was really happening, and the adrenaline release she experienced caused her to sober up immediately, but she still felt ecstatic from the emotional high.

regardless of how she felt, there was still an exorbitant amount of alcohol coursing through her system. she pulled away from him very suddenly.

"you alright?" trent asked, concerned.

"actually, i don't feel good..." she had a brief flashback of what the pub's toilet looked like from above, right before the rest of the liquor forced it's way up, narrowly missing trent's boots. trent was no stranger to the whole drinking and puking ritual at the bar. he held daria's hair back as she emptied the contents of her stomach on the pavement. all the while, you could hear the crowd inside blowing into party favors and shouting, "happy new year!"


	10. Chapter 10

once daria was done puking, trent squared her away in the backseat of his car and parked it at the entrance to the grunge club. he said his goodbyes to rod and promised the band he'd make it up to them if they packed all the equipment without him. then he caught up with jane, who was also ready to call it a night. she was really drunk, too, but she never reached the nausea point, she skipped right to the drowsy part. he drove them to the lane house and helped daria inside and up to jane's room. she was out like a light on impact with the sleeping bag, so trent found his way to his own bed. he stripped down to his boxers and collapsed onto the mattress. he was just starting to doze off when he heard more puking in the bathroom. he got up to check on whichever sick girl was awake. he found the door to bathroom open where daria was on her hands and knees in front of the toilet, and he resumed the hair-holding technique, but she had already got a little on the ends and a lot on her clothes.

"i can't sleep," she told him as she flushed. "everytime i close my eyes, the room starts moving. fast. and i'm too tired to keep my eyes open."

"it'll be ok, daria. i'll go get you a glass of water. you gonna be ok while i go downstairs?"

"yeah, i'll be fine."

he returned shortly with a huge glass of ice water, just as he'd promised. he found her slumped over the edge of the tub, soaking wet. apparently, she'd attempted to rinse the vomit off herself. "um, daria? are you awake?"

"yeah, i'm up. did you bring the water?"

trent though this was a funny request from a dripping wet individual. he smiled as he handed her the glass. "yeah, here you go."

she tanked half of it down in one swallow. "i'm so thirsty. i'm never going to drink like that again."

"i'm sorry, daria. i feel like this is my fault. i thought you would've had a good time."

"i did. for a while, anyway." he handed her a towel. she wiped her face and then her hair with it. "about the alley, before i got sick..."

"i don't want you to think i was trying to take advantage of you or i'm on the rebound or anything. we can pretend that never happened."

"i just wanted to know if you really wanted to...do that, or if it just happened because you've been drinking?"

"i really do care about you, daria, but i don't think we should ever cross that line again. you have to go back to school, and even if you didn't, it probably wouldn't work because, like you said, our world's are so different. would you really be ok with my lifestyle?"

"in what way?"

"well, i sleep a lot and i don't do much. i'm not very dependable. i never have any money, and probably won't ever catch a break cause i have such a strong objection to the exploitation of my art. and my band is my first priority. i learned from past experience that girls don't really dig long term relationships with guys that fit that criteria, we're just good flings. i'd only hold you back, we'd eventually break up, and you'd resent the hell out of me, ultimately damaging our friendship. and, unlike most exes, we'd still have to stomach each other's company because you and janey are such good friends."

"sounds like you gave that a lot of thought." daria's heart sank. "so, this is how the silly little high school crush ends - rejection. i knew better than to say anything. damn truth serum." she finished the glass of water and set it on the edge of the tub. "did i mention that i'm never going to drink again?"

"don't you get it? i'm not rejecting you. i think you are a magnificent person and i'm flattered that you like me, too. i don't want that opinion of me to change, as it inevitably would. you'd reject me. i'm trying to be sensible and avoid a much more painful heartbreak for the both of us."

"i never would have imagined that you'd already considered what it would've been like if we were together. that's almost comforting. but i still wouldn't have thought you the kind of person to ignore your feelings."

"i'm not really ignoring my feelings. i'm considering yours, too. from a logical stand point. you can't leave college to come here and i can't leave the band to go there."

"right," daria caught herself staring at his bare chest. "it would never work."

"right." trent involuntarily agreed.

"we're too different."

"we'll just pretend we never kissed."

"and it won't be awkward." daria was trying to convince herself more than trent.

"never...we're doing the right thing, right?"

"of course. we're both sensible adults." daria was starting to feel the full force of her exhaustion. " do you have some clothes i could change into?" she looked down at her stained undershirt. trent instinctively looked, too. since it was all wet, he noticed you could see right through it, and he reprimanded himself for thinking that it was sexy despite the vomit.

"yeah, i'll be right back." he returned with a t-shirt and a clean pair of his boxers. he found daria asleep, draped over the side of the tub. "daria? i brought you some clothes." she didn't answer. he tried to wake her by nudging. she didn't so much as stir. "daria?" he looked around the room, trying to decide what to do. he couldn't leave her asleep in there, and he didn't want to put her to bed drenched. he set the clothes on the side of the sink and went to jane's room. "janey, you asleep?" no response. he walked over to his sleeping sister and gently tapped her shoulder. "janey, wake up. i need you to do me a favor."

"do it yourself, " she flipped over with her back to trent.

trent gave her a more forceful nudge. "jane, it's important. i need you to change daria's clothes. she's asleep on the bathroom floor all wet and she won't get up."

"trent, my first hangover is already starting to come on and you won't leave me alone. she probably feels the same way."

"janey."

jane huffed. "did you try to wake her, trent?"

"yeah, she wouldn't budge."

"then let her sleep in the bathroom."

"i can't do that."

"if it bothers you that badly, then change her clothes for her. you're a trustworthy young man, just don't cop a feel, ok? now let me sleep."

trent came back to the bathroom and tried once more to wake daria, unsuccessfully. he heaved a sigh of reluctance and lifted her up by her arms. "daria? wake up..." since she was still unresponsive, he took off her glasses and then started to remove her shirt. apparently, at some point, she had already removed her bra, and trent was struggling with the stirring in his pants. at least i know she's still alive he thought, as he watched her chest rise up and down with her breathing. he forced his gaze away from it and put the t-shirt on her. he didn't want to risk anymore surprises, so he slipped the shorts on underneath her skirt and nimbly removed it over the shorts. his precautions didn't prevent him from getting goosebumps as his hands just barely grazed the skin on her thighs. amazed she had stayed asleep through all of that, he lifted her up into his arms and carried her down the hall to jane's room.

she heard him approaching. "trent, go away!"

without missing a beat, he turned right around and walked on to his room and placed her in his own bed. he went back to the bathroom for her dirty clothes. he carried them down to the basement to put them in the washer. while her clothes were in the machine, he took a sponge to the toilet and floor where she'd missed the bowl. the wash cycle was finished by the time he was done with all that, so he moved daria's clothes to the dryer and returned to his room.

the sight of daria sleeping in his bed was arousing, but trent was virtuous, so he started to make himself a bed on the floor when she began to stir.

"trent, is that you?"

"yes, daria?"

"you're not going to leave again, are you?" she said in a breathy, fatigued voice.

"no, i'm going to stay in here with you." he laid down on his floor nest.

all was quiet for a minute before she spoke once more, "trent? where are you?"

"i'm down here, by the bed."

"what are you doing down there?"

"sleeping."

"aren't you going to sleep in your bed?"

"no, you go ahead. i can sleep anywhere"

"i still don't feel well. please don't leave me."

trent was torn. he wasn't sure what the right thing to do in this situation was. he decided it wouldn't hurt for him to sleep next to her. if anything, it would be pleasant, so long as she isn't weirded out in the morning.

"trent...?"

"i'm here." he crawled into bed beside her. she started smiling and her breathing slowed down to the infatuating rhythm of dream-rich slumber. he watched her sleep for a while, admiring her long, flowing tresses and her heaving breasts. he noticed that her hair still had it's usual intoxicating scent despite any of the unfortunate circumstances she'd endured that evening. he gently swept a section of it off of her face so he could see her serene smile better. he took it all in, knowing he may never have this opportunity again. finally, trent put an arm over her and drifted off to sleep himself.

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